Taste of the NFL XVII to Be Broadcast on Martha Stewart Living Radio; Nick Lachey Emcees

"To address the needs of the hungry and homeless by raising awareness and money through special events and programs." -- Taste of the NFL mission statement

Tonight, on the eve of Super Bowl XLII, thousands of good-hearted and fun- and football-loving folks will gather at the Phoenix Convention Center to nosh on some of the nation's finest food, sip great wines, and rub elbows with NFL players past and present. The charitable event is Taste of the NFL XVII, and could very well raise a half-million dollars to help tackle hunger in Arizona -- where food banks were first conceived some 40-plus years ago -- and in communities throughout the U.S.

Last year at this time, GoodBiz113 introduced its readers to Taste of the NFL [TNFL], a quintessential win-win-win fundraising initiative that kicked off in 1992, when Minnesota's Twin Cities hosted Super Bowl XXVI ["Cuisine Concepts at Heart of Taste of the NFL -- AKA 'Super Bowl Party...With a Purpose' -- to Tackle Hunger in America"]. Via its annual Super Bowl Eve event, plus local team-sponsored food- and wine-tasting events featuring top chefs and libations, TNFL has raised a total of $6.8 million for hunger-related charities in NFL cities from coast to coast.

Since publishing our first GoodBiz113 small-biz profile of Cuisine Concepts, TNFL has raised approximately $1.3 million -- including $200,000 for Daily Bread Food Bank of South Florida, where Super Bowl XLI was held. During the year, nearly $1.1 million was raised at eight local TNFL events hosted by the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and the St. Louis Rams.

In fact, TNFL's most recent newcomer -- none other than the New York Giants, this season's NFC champions -- contributed $70,000 raised from its very first gala to the ShopRite Partners in Caring Fund, a nonprofit program that helps feed hungry kids and adults throughout the New York metropolitan area. How's that for great karma?!

Among this year's recipients of TNFL/Super Bowl-related monies raised -- e.g., via ticket sales, auction items, purchases from the online TNFL Store:
* St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance
* United Food Bank
* America's Second Harvest
* Community Kitchen
* The Campus Kitchens Project
* Food Research & Action Center

Kostroski Recruits Top Chefs, Scores Celebrity Coups
Each year, Wayne Kostroski [pictured], co-founder of Cuisine Concepts, and founder and executive director of Taste of the NFL [AKA Hunger Related Events], recruits chefs from the leading restaurants in TNFL host cities to come to the Super Bowl and collaborate for the season's premier fundraising event. TNFL covers each chef's airfare and lodging, and they show up -- ready and rarin' to prepare and serve their signature dishes to some 3,000 guests, each of whom has paid $500 to $600 per ticket. [Corporate tables for 10 are priced at $5,000.]

"Tickets to our annual event have been sold on eBay for as much as $2,000," Kostroski told GoodBiz113. "Besides the Super Bowl, of course, it's always the hottest ticket in town."

Since we interviewed him last year, the effervescent restaurateur/altruist/sought-after speaker has scored some major coups. Besides adding the New York Giants to TNFL's calendar of local events, he also won several months' worth of free publicity from the far-reaching likes of Martha Stewart Living Radio, SIRIUS channel 112.

Starting last November, Martha Stewart Living Radio has broadcast twice-weekly interviews with chefs, each of whom discusses his or her signature TNFL dish, takes calls from listeners, and shares colorful anecdotes about their favorite NFL players and hometown teams. This evening, the program will broadcast live from TNFL.

"Martha Stewart Living Radio also ran a 'Recipe Bowl' contest, in conjunction with Epicurious.com," beamed Kostroski. "The winner was a woman from Henderson, Nev., whose husband happens to be a high-school football coach. They both get free airfare, lodging, meals and tickets to prime Super Bowl seats. Plus, she gets to cook with one of the sous chefs participating in Taste of the NFL."

Tonight's gala event showcases great wine from Gallo, dishes prepared by chefs from 36 restaurants in all 32 NFL cities, and TNFL and Pro Bowl events. Guests will also get to sample dishes from seven hand-selected "Flavor of the Valley" restaurants that represent some of the best cuisine in the Phoenix/Scottsdale region:
* Cowboy Ciao
* Furio
* Michael's Catering
* Tradiciones
* Roaring Fork
* Eddie V's Edgewater Grille
* Wildfish Seafood Grille

Following dinner, pop star/actor/sports team owner Nick Lachey will emcee auction-related events -- including the presentation of checks to St. Mary's Food Alliance, and United Food Bank. He'll also introduce the evening's entertainment: 1970s rock band, Cheap Trick.

TNFL Serves Up Camaraderie, Not Competition
The food-service industry is rife with seering competition. Refreshingly, TNFL is a bastion of cooperation -- in the kitchen, at the serving tables and behind the scenes.

"You wouldn't believe the camaraderie among our chefs," said Kostroski. "Before Taste of the NFL, we have a Friday night huddle for NFL players, their spouses/partners and the chefs. We present awards to those who have contributed their talents and time to their communities, and do some other fun and special things, too."

After Hurricane Katrina, several New Orleans restaurants closed their doors forever. Not the French Quarter's Bayona Restaurant, whose star chef and co-founder, Susan Spicer, has been a loyal team player since TNFL's early years. To help see Spicer and her displaced employees through the disastrous post-Katrina days, weeks and months, the TNFL "family" took up a collection and sent her a check for nearly $9,000.

"The bottom line to me, in life, is that most people will step up, when asked, to do what they do best," Kostroski noted. "Taste of the NFL reminds people to check your pulse to see how you're feeling, and then to consider what you can do to help others -- whether you're a chef, plumber, electrician, whatever."

On March 6, Kostroski is a featured speaker in the prestigious "Meet The Culinary Entrepreneurs" lecture series, sponsored by New York's Institute of Culinary Education [ICE®]. What will his message be to the ICE® audience of would-be restaurateurs? "To engage people of all talents and backgrounds in order to serve the greater good," he replied.

"Taste of the NFL is another way to be inclusive," Kostroski added. "If someone wants to help us tackle hunger by driving a truck or delivering stuff on a Schwinn, we'll figure it out... Once they come on board, though, we've got 'em forever."

To become involved in TNFL -- as a restaurateur, chef, volunteer, sponsor, etc. -- contact Wayne Kostroski. Phone: 952.926.7478; E-mail: wayne@cuisineconcepts.com.
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Sept. 10: NFL's Regular-Season Play Kicks Off With Cleveland Browns Taste of the NFL Celebrity Dinner

This week marks the first official week of the NFL's 2007-08 season. To help kick it off, next Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, the Cleveland Browns will host their annual Taste of the NFL [TNFL] Celebrity Dinner to raise money for the Cleveland Foodbank, which serves as a clearinghouse for donated and rescued food in the entire Cleveland area.

As we reported last January ["Cuisine Concepts at Heart of Taste of the NFL -- AKA 'Super Bowl Party...With a Purpose' -- to Tackle Hunger in America"], GoodBiz113 profilee Cuisine Concepts launched TNFL in 1992, when Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl XXVI.

Since then, the far-reaching fundraising initiative has stretched to NFL cities from coast to coast, with anuual TNFL dinners held on the eve of Super Bowl, in the host city. Throughout the year, several NFL teams also sponsor local celebrity dinners to benefit area not-for-profit groups that serve hungry and/or homeless people.

TNFL events feature the "best of the gridiron and the griddle." They provide opportunities for premier restaurants to showcase their specialties, as well as bring NFL alumni, players, coaches, team owners and civic-minded celebrities, business leaders and citizens together to help support local foodshelves.

This year's Cleveland Browns TNFL event will be held in the spectacular City View Club Lounge, in Cleveland Browns Stadium, and features a celebrity party, silent auction, wine and culinary tasting, and live entertainment provided by Run Avril Run.

Participating restaurants include:
* Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern
* Blue Point Grille
* Boulevard Blue
* The Cabin Club
* Delmonico's Steakhouse
* Downtown 140
* Epiq Bistro
* Fahrenheit
* Flying Fig
* John Q's Steakhouse
* Johnny's Downtown
* Levy Restaurants of the Cleveland Browns
* Metropolitan Café
* Momocho
* Moxie, the Restaurant
* One Walnut
* Paladar
* Pearl of the Orient
* Players on Madison
* Primo Vino
* Red, the Steakhouse
* Salmon Dave's Pacific Grille
* Sans Souci in The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
* Table 45
* Three Birds
* Vivo Cleveland
* XO Prime Steaks

Monies raised from the event will go to Cleveland Foodbank, a member of America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, which feeds America's hungry through a nationwide network of food banks and engages people in the fight to end hunger.

Cleveland Foodbank solicits donations from local and national food suppliers and manufacturers, and then distributes that food to hunger programs. In 2006, the organization distributed over 19.5 million pounds of food to more than 450 hunger programs -- which included area food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters, and other agencies, such as child-care centers and homes for the elderly. This was enough food for its member agencies to serve over 15 million meals to hungry individuals in the community.

Every dollar raised by the Cleveland Browns Taste of the NFL 2007 Celebrity Dinner will help Cleveland Foodbank provide enough food for four healthy meals. It is estimated that 50 percent of the recipients at Cleveland's local hunger centers are children and the elderly.

For tickets to the Cleveland Browns' TNFL event, phone 216.738.2046, or go online: https://www.clevelandfoodbank.org/events/tnfl.asp.

Taste of the NFL XVII will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, at the Phoenix Convention Center, on the eve of Super Bowl XLII. For information and tickets, go to: http://www.tasteofthenfl.com/.

Sources: America's Second Harvest, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Foodbank, Taste of the NFL
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Taste of the NFL to Present $200,000 Check to Daily Bread Food Bank of South Florida

Note: This is a follow-up to the story that GoodBiz113 reported about Twin Cities restaurateur Wayne Kostroski's ingenuity and energy behind Taste of the NFL®, which he initially served up for Super Bowl XXVI, held in Minneapolis in 1992. [See Jan. 29 post, "Cuisine Concepts at Heart of Taste of the NFL -- AKA 'Super Bowl Party With a Purpose' -- to Tackle Hunger in America."]

On Wednesday, April 11, 2007, Taste of the NFL -- Super Bowl Party...With a Purpose® will proudly present a check to the Daily Bread Food Bank of South Florida, an affiliate of America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network. The amount: $200,000-plus, which represents total proceeds [e.g., sales from tickets, auction items, merchandise] from this year's Taste of the NFL XVI.

The check presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Broward County Convention Center [1950 Eisenhower Blvd., Fort Lauderdale], which hosted February's Super Bowl Eve gala.

Among those expected at the event: Wayne Kostroski, TNFL founder and executive director; Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau; Judith Gatti, executive director of Daily Bread Food Bank; and Chef Jamie MacDonald, executive chef of the Broward County Convention Center. Local officials and representatives of key sponsors will also be present.

The Daily Bread Food Bank provides food to 800 different charitable feeding programs throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties. For every $1 the Daily Bread Food Bank spends, food for six meals, or nine pounds of food, is provided.

This year, with TNFL's assistance, the Daily Bread Food Bank was able to capture 85,000 pounds of unused food from Super Bowl-related events and redistribute it to the less fortunate -- e.g, needy children, working poor, people who are physically or mentally ill or challenged, single mothers, homeless individuals and families, senior citizens, persons living with HIV/AIDS.

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Cuisine Concepts at Heart of Taste of the NFL -- AKA "Super Bowl Party...With a Purpose" -- to Tackle Hunger in America

The Company
Cuisine Concepts, LLC
3910 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
Phone: [952] 926-7478
Web: www.cuisineconcepts.com

Founded: 1994
Employees: 210

Contact: Wayne Kostroski, Co-Owner, Cuisine Concepts; Founder & Executive Director, Taste of the NFL: wayne@cuisineconcepts.com

The Business
Cuisine Concepts operates and manages some of the most popular eateries in Minneapolis -- including Tejas, Bar Abilene in Uptown Minneapolis, and Franklin Street Bakery. The company also provides professional foodservice management and consulting services -- e.g., new-product development; management of new and existing facilities; training and staffing; menu development.

The Buzz
Cuisine Concepts' restaurants consistently receive accolades from local, regional and national food critics, editors and top travel guides. Its growing list of consulting-services clients features such diverse and prestigious organizations as Brunswick Corporation, Marshall Field's, Minnesota Zoo, Science Museum of Minnesota, University of Minnesota, and Walker Art Center.

The Catalyst
Co-owner Wayne Kostroski, a community-spirited restaurateur and business leader since the late 1970s, first got involved in addressing hunger in the mid-1980s. In 1986, Minneapolis' Uptown Association deemed that a jazz festival would be a good summer complement to its long-running Uptown Art Fair, a juried event that attracts a wide field of talented artisans and hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Kostroski thought that the new Uptown Jazz Festival -- replete with countless food and beverage vendors -- would present a highly visible opportunity to raise awareness of hunger, and partnered with the nearby Joyce Food Shelf to collect food and cash donations.

In 1988, Kostroski led the first Twin Cities Taste of the Nation, one of the first national Taste of the Nation events that brings together a city's top area chefs and guest out-of-town chefs. Each delectable dinner raises funds for Share Our Strength, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger.

Then, in 1992, while serving as president of the Minnesota Restaurant Association [now Hospitality Minnesota], Kostroski was tapped by Twin Cities movers and shakers -- namely, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairwoman and CEO of Carlson Companies, and Harvey Mackay, envelope magnate, best-selling author and motivational speaker -- to chair the restaurant committee for the Super Bowl XXVI Task Force. That led to Kostroski creating and producing the very first Taste of the NFL, held in Minneapolis. He's never looked back.

"I'm in the hospitality business," said Kostroski, who's since formed Hunger Related Events, an umbrella 501[c][3] not-for-profit for all TNFL events. "I know how food is grown, how it's served, and how it's distributed. There's obviously a need to do large-scale events like this, and I'm happy to be able to organize them."

The Strategy
When Kostroski proposed holding an annual fund-raising dinner that brings award-winning chefs and alumni players from each NFL city to the Super Bowl host city [starting with Minneapolis, in 1992] -- and to donate 100 percent of the funds raised to help fight hunger -- the reaction was a little, well, mixed. "Marilyn and Harvey were thrilled," he recalled. "They said, 'Okay. Go for it.'"

Kostroski's pitch to Jim Steeg, then-NFL senior vice president of special events, was met with reserved enthusiasm -- and a warning: "Well, all right," Steeg said. "Just don't mess it up."

The Partners
Kostroski proceeded to assemble a far-reaching network that included NFL team owners, players and alums; talented chefs from all 32 NFL cities; generous sponsors; hundreds of well-connected volunteers; and countless others. TNFL's targeted recipient, America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network, also played a valuable role in promoting and supporting the event.

"That first year was remarkable," Kostroski recalled. "[Minnesota Vikings alums] Bob Lurtsema and Scott Studwell knew the players, I knew the chefs, and our Super Bowl XXVI Task Force members helped attract some major sponsors."

Indeed. Thanks to sponsors such as SuperValu, whose transportation package sponsorship covered the chefs' airfare in 1992, TNFL was able to donate all funds raised -- i.e., $90,000 from dinner tickets, merchandise sales, etc. -- to America's Second Harvest, and continues to every year.

The Process
Pondering that first TNFL success story 15 years ago, Kostroski shakes his head in amazement, then poses a rhetorical question: "Can you imagine being a five-star chef from some warmer climate -- say, Tampa, Dallas or L.A. -- on the receiving end of this invitation: 'We'll fly you into Minneapolis for four days during late January, and you pick up your own lodging and other expenses, then prepare one of your specialties at no charge for thousands of guests.'

"I mean, when you stop to think about it, it's really pretty bold and ridiculous. But they did it, and many continue to do this gypsy thing for every single Super Bowl -- along with our dedicated board members, caterers, concierges, etc. Throughout the year, some chefs even organize Taste of the NFL-related events in their own cities."

The Financials
To date, annual Super Bowl-related TNFL dinners have raised more than $6 million dollars for America's Second Harvest's 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. "Most of the funds are donated directly to our member food banks across the country," explains Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America's Second Harvest. "The national office receives about $35,000 each year to fund our Community Kitchen program, but the remainder goes to our food banks."

Escarra said that every dollar donated helps its food banks "provide about 20 pounds of food to those at risk of hunger." A little quick math tallies TNFL's heretofore contributions yielding more than 120 million pounds of food. "Taste of the NFL has helped provide tens of millions of meals to hungry Americans," she noted. "So, it is a very significant contribution to the work of our food banks."

Local TNFL events -- ranging from strolling wine-tasting-and-grazing socials, to sit-down dinners -- have raised additional funds for America's Second Harvest, plus other deserving groups that serve the hungry and homeless.

For example, this year's Minnesota Vikings TNFL Celebrity Dinner -- which Kostroski organized, along with Mark Haugen, TNFL chef director, Tejas chef and Cuisine Concepts co-owner -- attracted 1,000 guests and raised more than $500,000 for Hunger Solutions Minnesota. "Fifteen years later, Minnesota is still the highest net fundraiser for TNFL," Kostroski beams -- a testament to the state's philanthropic tradition.

The Upshot
Subsequent TNFL events have followed every year in the Super Bowl's host city, as well as in a handful of cities that have NFL teams. While many chefs, NFL alums and volunteers stay aboard from year to year, other dynamics -- e.g., team owners, coaches and, of course, Super Bowl host city locations -- change.

"Fortunately, I've learned that nothing is a sure thing," said Kostroski. "To do this, you need to develop some layers -- within each team and in every NFL community. When you do that and simply ask for peoples' support, they'll usually give it to you."

Case in point: Charles Fazzino, the eye-popping 3-D artist. For the seventh consecutive year, he's created a commemorative limited-edition 3-D print and open-edition poster for Super Bowl XLI. At this year's TNFL, he'll be signing works and donating a percentage of in-person and online print and poster sales to TNFL.

"Our mission statement -- 'To address the needs of the hungry and homeless by raising awareness and money through special events and programs' -- intentionally emphasizes awareness before money. By doing Taste of the NFL events, we raise awareness that hunger is an ugly, invisible and hidden disease in this country -- especially, among children and seniors. It's a disease that leads to other ills, too, such as poor health and under-educated people. After all, if your stomach is growling, it's hard to focus on learning.

"On the positive side, if you think about it, some of people's best experiences happen around food; it's a catalyst for bringing people together. As long as we can keep doing that, we'll be able to keep moving toward ending hunger."

Escarra, for one, is very grateful that Kostroski keeps managing to bring thousands of folks together each year. "Wayne is a terrific person," she praised. "He's a smart and creative businessman, and I've really been impressed by his commitment to help the less fortunate.

"America's Second Harvest is very fortunate to have a supporter like Wayne Kostroski, as well as his staff and volunteers who work so tirelessly. Taste of the NFL is a very special event. Consider that the Super Bowl is the biggest, most-watched sporting event of the year. Taste of the NFL helps us to be a part of it -- thereby raising awareness of the prevalence of hunger in America, and raising funds to help us fight hunger."

The Takeaway
Next Saturday, Feb. 3, no fewer than 3,400 guests are expected at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center for Taste of the NFL XVI. On the eve of Super Bowl XLI, they'll sip great wines and feast on delectable appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts prepared by 32 of America's top chefs. [To see the list of chefs and recipes for the mouth-watering specialties they're presenting, go to http://www.tasteofthenfl.com/ and click on "Chefs."] All the while, TNFL guests will be helping people served by this year's local recipient, Daily Bread Food Bank of South Florida, an affiliate of America's Second Harvest.

"Wayne's concept of Taste of the NFL is a great example of 'thinking outside the box' -- and he did that long before that catch phrase was common," added Escarra. "I think the salient point here is that there are many, many ways to help raise funds for charities, and it never hurts to be creative."

Kostroski positively glows at the prospect of bringing folks together to move towards eliminating hunger once and for all. "How can someone feel this good?" he radiates. "If I didn't get involved -- even just a little bit -- how else could I get to meet so many great people, help others and get such an incredible education? If you don't get involved, you lose."

So, how much longer will Kostroski be involved in TNFL? "My wife, Eda, has asked me that a few times," he responds with a wry smile. "At this point, I guess the answer is, one, when Taste of the NFL has local fund-raising events in all 32 NFL cities; or, two, till the Minnesota Vikings are in the Super Bowl -- whichever comes first."

Every year, Kostroski speaks at various special events [e.g., college commencements, trade association meetings] to share his vision of the possible. His message? "Giving is good business, no matter what you do," he replied. "And don't wait till you're richer or more successful to do it.

"Ask yourself: Do you want to be a spectator, or get in the game? Everyone who has a talent -- whether you're a lawyer, plumber, electrician, chef, etc. -- can help out and do something. Don't do nothing waiting for something to happen."
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Want to be a part of this year's Taste of the NFL tradition? Shop the TNFL Store: http://www.tnflgoods.com/servlet/StoreFront! There, you can buy TNFL tickets, merchandise [e.g., apron, cap, collector's pin], sporting goods, Charles Fazzino's 3-D prints, and the TNFL Restaurant Guide -- replete with profiles of this year's TNFL chefs and their top picks [150-plus total] of local restaurants...great for travelers! Remember: Sales receipts directly benefit America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network.